Beyond the Screen: CJ Frazier on Food, Community & the Creator Economy

CJ Frazier is a producer, creator, and community leader with a passion for bringing people together through food and storytelling. He has played a key role in building and leading Blackstone's Griddle Crew, growing it into a nationwide community of creators who have helped shape the culture and personality behind the brand. From producing digital content and television to developing creator programs, live events, and brand experiences, CJ has built his career around the idea that the best content creates connection. For him, it's never just about what happens on the screen—it's about the people and community that form around it.

A born and raised New Yorker, Ruben Santana is the founder and pitmaster behind Bark Barbecue, one of New York City's most talked-about emerging barbecue concepts. Entirely self-taught, Santana developed his craft through years of experimentation, research, and conversations with respected pitmasters across the country, teaching himself the fundamentals of live fire cooking and Central Texas-style barbecue from the ground up. What began in 2020 as a backyard passion project in Ozone Park – smoking brisket from a makeshift rig in his garage and serving food curbside to neighborhood crowds – quickly evolved through grassroots pop-ups across Queens, appearances at Smorgasburg, and a breakout residency at Time Out Market New York. Today, Santana is recognized for bringing a distinctly personal perspective to American barbecue, combining the discipline and technique of Central Texas barbecue with the flavors and culinary traditions of his Dominican heritage. Bark Barbecue has become known for smoked meats infused with Dominican flavors and family recipe-inspired sides, from longaniza and chicharrón to arroz congrí and maduros. His approach expands the conversation around what American barbecue can look and taste like today, while remaining rooted in the craft and traditions that define great barbecue. In July 2026, Santana opened Bark Barbecue's first standalone flagship in Bushwick, Brooklyn – an ambitious 8,000-square-foot restaurant marking the next major evolution of the brand. The new space brings Bark beyond its pop-up and market roots into a fully realized dining destination centered around live fire cooking, hospitality, and the Dominican-American flavors and traditions that have defined Santana's journey from the beginning. Santana's work has earned growing national attention, with Food & Wine and Bon Appetit recognizing Bark Barbecue and Santana among a new generation of restaurants and pitmasters shaping the future of American barbecue. Santana is also featured on the debut season of Food Network's Pitmasters, bringing his approach to barbecue and live fire cooking to a national audience.

I got involved in competition BBQ back in the late 90', cooking with several teams. As a result, I became very interested in building competition smokers. Hence Pit O' Heaven was born. We built trailer mounted smokers from 2000-2004. My oilfield career became so busy that the competition BBQ and smoker building came to a halt. My desire to for competitive cooking was still burning inside. A good friend of mine got me involved in the SCA. Pam and I absolutely fell in love with it. We have traveled to Australia to compete and competed right on the beach in the Bahamas. Pam and I decided to create our own seasoning recipes for competition. As a result of these efforts we debuted of our PitGrit Seasonings Line to the public in March of 2021. The brand has been very successful on the SCA and BBQ competition trails around the world. Our seasonings have been included in the recipes of 4 European SCA Points Championships and 1 Australian SCA Points Championship. And also, SCA, Nationally and Internationally, with 100's of wins and 100's of top 10's and numerous BBQ Grand/Reserve Grand Championships and growing....AND that's just numbers that we are aware of. Also, The national and worldwide success has been way beyond our wildest expectations. Our seasonings have also won awards among the best most successful brands on the market today winning (6) NBBQA Awards of Excellence and with the (5) National Barbecue News Rubs of Honor. Our PitGrit Seasonings may not have a long bbq royalty pedigree behind them, but, our Seasonings are second to none. Our Pitgrit Seasonings record of success and winning absolutely verifies, it's one of the best seasoning lines on the market today, worldwide! Personally, Pam and I have won and walked dozens of SCA Steak Competitions in the USA, Bahamas and in Australia. Just to mention a few, I have personally finished 6th and 12th at the SCA World Championships, won the 2021 Arkansas State Championship and Pam won the 2022 Alabama State Ancillary Championship among other prime events on the SCA Competition Trail. ALL of our seasonings are Original Recipes! We use the finest ingredients to blend our recipes with no fillers and are low in sodium with the exception of the Ribeye Ranch PitGrit - All Purpose. It was designed with higher salt content to be a SPG base for any dish. The reasoning for lower salt content in our other recipes is to allow for the maximum addition of FLAVOR without adding saltiness. Each of our recipes are created to blend well with our other seasonings or some other outstanding brands. Most of all we are extremely blessed to a part of the SCA Family and the Worldwide Competitive Cooking Family. It has been a real blessing to Pam and I! Our story has just begun, GOD BLESS, Stay Tuned, Stay safe and always .........."STAY GRITTY MY FREINDS"

Kettle Krew was born from a simple, stubborn belief. Jimmy of Bearded Boar BBQ, Rick of 304 Smokehouse, and Brandon The Meat Alchemist had all grown tired of the notion that great barbecue demands expensive smokers and elaborate rigs. They set out to prove otherwise — that anyone, armed with nothing more than a basic Weber Kettle and real technique, could turn out barbecue worthy of the pitmasters. What started as a shared conviction quickly grew into a tight-knit community, and eventually into their flagship event: "Running of the Snakes," where they gather to smoke proteins low and slow using the snake method. No gimmicks, no shortcuts — just solid technique, great food, and good people.

All right, BBQ family, fire up those smokers because we've got an awesome guest joining us today! If you've spent any time in the barbecue world, chances are you already know today's guest. Rusty Monson is the owner of Salt City BBQ in Utah, a championship pitmaster, and one of the most respected voices in the BBQ community. Whether he's cooking on the competition circuit, serving incredible barbecue, or helping backyard pitmasters take their game to the next level, Rusty brings passion, knowledge, and a whole lot of flavor to everything he does. And here's something worth celebrating—Rusty was recently inducted into The Pitmaster's Podcast Guest Hall of Fame, recognizing the impact he's made on the barbecue community and the countless conversations he's shared with BBQ fans across the country. Today we're talking all things barbecue—from competition cooking and running Salt City BBQ to the latest trends, favorite cooks, lessons learned, and maybe even a few stories from behind the smoker that you've never heard before. So grab your favorite BBQ, settle in, and get ready for a great conversation. Please welcome to the show, Hall of Fame pitmaster and owner of Salt City BBQ… Rusty Monson!

The Pitmaster Podcast Hall of Fame Selection Show is going LIVE on YouTube! Join us June 30 at 7PM MST as we reveal the next class of Hall of Fame inductees. Don't miss the action, the stories, and the celebration of BBQ greatness! Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss it! #ThePitmasterPodcast #HallOfFame #BBQ #LiveOnYouTube #PitmasterFamily

In 2016, I jumped into the world of competition BBQ. My very first sanctioned contest was the legendary American Royal, and I've been hooked ever since. As a solo cook, I compete in about 4–8 contests each year, chasing great food, great people, and the challenge of getting better every cook. Along the way, I've been fortunate to have some memorable moments: 🏆 2021 American Royal Open – 1st Place Pork🥉 2026 American Royal – 7th Place Chicken🥉 2026 American Royal – 3rd Place Sauce on Your (SOY) After that Royal pork win, I decided it was time to create something of my own. In 2022, Perfect Perfect BBQ was born—named appropriately after years of chasing that perfect bite. Since then, the lineup has grown with:🔥 Perfect Perfect BBQ Rub🔥 Hot Bum🔥 O.G. Bum One of the things I enjoy most is teaching BBQ classes throughout the year. Whether it's backyard BBQ for family and friends or competition-style cooking, I love helping others build confidence, improve their skills, and grow their passion for outdoor cooking. BBQ has given me opportunities, friendships, and memories I never expected. If you're just getting started or looking to take your cooking to the next level, I'm glad to be part of the journey. Thanks for following along and supporting Perfect Perfect BBQ. 🔥 Keep cooking. Keep learning. Keep chasing Perfect Perfect.

Brad Leighninger is the pitmaster, co-owner, and founder behind the award-winning barbecue brand Gettin' Basted, based in southwest Missouri. He launched the team in 2012, originally as a competition barbecue outfit, and quickly built it into one of the most successful teams on the professional BBQ circuit before expanding into full-scale restaurants in Branson and Nixa, Missouri. Leighninger is widely known in the BBQ world for helping popularize the "hot and fast" cooking style, using direct heat and drum smokers rather than traditional low-and-slow methods. This approach became a signature of both his competition strategy and restaurant menu. As a competitor, he has accumulated an elite résumé, including multiple world-class titles such as a Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue Grand Champion, King of the Smoker Grand Champion, and multiple Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) Team of the Year honors. He has also earned over 100 major competition wins and numerous grand championships across the United States. Beyond competition, Leighninger co-owns several Gettin' Basted restaurant locations and is active in the broader barbecue industry as a pitmaster, educator, and public figure in BBQ media and events. In short, he's considered one of the most decorated and influential modern competitive pitmasters, known for both his innovation in technique and his dominance on the competition circuit.

This week on The Pitmasters Podcast, we're sitting down with one of the most accomplished names in the world of live-fire cooking — John Lindsey. From championship steaks and award-winning BBQ to television appearances, catering, product development, and BBQ education, John has built a reputation as one of the most respected ambassadors in the barbecue industry. 🏆 What You'll Hear About: Building the legendary All Q'ued Up Competition Cooking Team Winning on the Steak Cookoff Association circuit His journey to becoming the "Delta Pitmaster" Creating the award-winning All Q'ued Up rubs, sauces, and Southern Spice seasonings Teaching thousands of backyard cooks through BBQ classes and BBQ Champs Academy Behind-the-scenes stories from television shows including BamaQ TV: The Steakout and BBQ Country Competition BBQ, steak cooking, catering, content creation, and what's next for John Lindsey John's Accomplishments Include: ✅ 2018 SCA Newcomer of the Year ✅ 2019 SCA National Points Runner-Up ✅ 2020 BBQ Champs Academy Ultimate Steak Showdown Champion ✅ 2020 SCA Ambassador of the Year ✅ 7-Time SCA World Championship Qualifier ✅ 3-Time World Food Championships Qualifier ✅ 2021 Myron Mixon Unadilla Hog Drop Grand Champion ✅ 2022 Arkansas State Points Champion (SCA) ✅ 2022 Alabama State Open Champion (SCA) ✅ 2022 Mississippi State Open Champion (SCA) ✅ 2023 Beyond Meat World Champion (KCBS) ✅ Member of The BBQ Allstars ✅ Featured TV Personality, Instructor, Caterer, and Pitmaster Whether you're a competition cook, backyard griller, steak enthusiast, or BBQ fanatic, this is an episode you don't want to miss. 🎙️ Hosted by Thee Anthony Lujan & Jesse Johnson 📅 Live Tuesday Night 📺 Watch, comment, and join the conversation live. #PitmastersPodcast #JohnLindsey #DeltaPitmaster #BBQ #Barbecue #SteakCookoffAssociation #SCA #CompetitionBBQ #Grilling #Pitmaster #AllQuedUp #SouthernSpice #BBQLife #LiveFireCooking #BBQCommunity #SteakCooking #BBQAllstars #BBQChamps #SmokeAintNoJoke

The LFCA officially launched at the Open Fire World Championship at Memphis in May in 2026. The Live Fire Cooking Association (LFCA) is a food sport sanctioning body created to give live fire cooking its own identity, structure, and future. Built to honor the oldest culinary traditions in human history, the LFCA accelerates the growth of live fire cooking through fair competition, consistent judging standards, cook team recognition, education, events, and community connection. The LFCA was co-founded by three of the most respected voices in live fire cooking: Al Frugoni (Open Fire Meat Up), Mike Starr (Blazing Star BBQ), and Christie Vanover (Girls Can Grill)